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The area, ridiculously, called Saxon Switzerland (and Czech Switzerland) is situate on the Elbe between Dresden and Prague the only well known resort being Bad Schandau. It is very popular with German walkers and climbers who flock there in their thousands.
A smaller resort is probably a better choice - especially on the south side of the Elbe - because the (cheap) train has a great service along this side and (if you can understand the fare plan) you can then get a free ferry to the north side where the more exciting walking is.
I've taken many liberties with the pictures as they come from four separate walks and are not in sequence but give a flavour of this marvellous area. Don't go if you don't like climbing stairs and ladders - in 5 days we probably climbed well over 6,000 steps.
The more or less central building is our hotel with the railway line and Elbe in front - taken (obviously) from the Schrammstein opposite
The ferry going back after dropping us off
There's stone steps
And iron ladders
And still more ladders
but when you get there the views are incredible
these 3 pictures are taken from the Winterberg
This and the next one are from Bastei
When we reached the end of Bastei we were horrified to find a road and huge hotel perched on the rocks with walkways all around
So we hurried on to Lilienstein
But, of course, there's just as many steps coming down
Looking back at the Lilienstein
The Lichtenhain Waterfall is world (?) famous - you reach this bridge just before it - a much nicer experience!
A little dribble is all there is to it although, just before the hour, it gets a little larger.
Then, on the hour, musac (unrecognisable to our party) commences and - for all of 20 seconds - a torrent flows. Obviously this was a highlight of life in East Germany
On our last day we ventured into the Czech Republic, passports at the ready, to see the largest natural rock arch in Europe at Prebischtor
This makes Napes Needle into a childs toy. Climbing ethics in this area allow no ironmongery so with protection almost non-existent climbing must be really tough, but this pillar (a couple of hundred feet high) is climbed because there is an abseil bolt on top. Most of the cliffs in these pictures have climbing routes on them.
Here's some of our group on top of Prebischtor - you have to pay two euros for the privilege, although the attendant seemed to finish work at about 3pm.
